Floor cleaning devices adapted for attachment to a fluid hose are well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,246,640 issued to Shurhay and U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,746 issued to Anderberg et al, both describe a water sweeping device including a pair of tubular members attached by a “T” fitting. These tubular members form a handle member and a cross member respectively, the latter having spray nozzles mounted therein. During operation, fluid flows through the hollow handle into the “T” fitting where it is distributed to the cross member and, ultimately, ejected onto a cleaning surface.
There are two major drawbacks to the cleaning devices described above. First, the sharp corners of the “T” fitting are prone to fatigue cracks which result from oscillating forces applied during a cleaning operation. Second, the tubular cross members are prone to excessive bending.
A cleaning device for windows is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,682 issued to Realdon, this device has a short tubular cross-member support with a holder with a brush and a squeegee pivotally mounted on the support. A further brush cleaning device with a squeegee for cleaning floors is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,415 issued on Jul. 16, 2002. Both of these devices include a brush as an integral part of the cleaning device structure.
Therefore there is a need for an improved fluid squeegee.